‘Declan Rice should stay at West Ham – I grew as a footballer and a man there’

Having notched up 200 Premier League appearances for West Ham by the age of just 24, Declan Rice has a big decision to make this summer.

Stay at the London Stadium and confirm legendary status among the fan base – or move on in search of Champions League football and regular chances of silverware.

It’s a call many top players have to make at different stages of their careers, in terms of when to make the next jump.

READ MORE: ‘I went from street footballer to La Liga legend and now help kids get same opportunity’

West Ham believed they were proving to Rice their ambitions match his own in the transfer market last summer, as they forked out almost £200million on new recruits off the back of a run to a European semi-final and seventh-place finish that had potential to be a top-four charge for a long time.

However, while they are in the Europa Conference League semi-finals, this season has largely been a disaster with Premier League status still not secured for the 2023/24 campaign ahead of the Hammers’ final four league games.

Captain Rice, who is expected to return to the line-up tonight against Manchester United following illness in the week, has been a rare shining light for West Ham in an otherwise dismal season where manager David Moyes has continually clung on to his job while clubs around the east Londoners regularly push the panic button.

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The term ‘too good to go down’ was thrown at West Ham 20 years ago – and history could yet repeat itself with the drop still only four points away.

Part of that squad was Freddie Kanoute, who enjoyed a little over three years with the Hammers between 2000 and 2003.

The ex-Mali international was 25 when he left West Ham for Tottenham following their relegation, but wished he could have spent longer in claret and blue.

“Honestly, West Ham remains a very, very important club to me because that’s the first club I signed for when I arrived in London and they welcomed me very well, and the fans are amazing,” Kanoute exclusively told Daily Star Sport.

“I was so, so gutted when we got relegated, especially that season when I couldn’t help the team much. We had a fantastic team, so we still don’t understand why we got relegated, but I couldn’t help much because I got injured most of the season.

“It was a very low moment from which I learned a lot as well, but the three years I spent there was one of the best experiences in my life as a footballer, because this is where I started to grow not only as a footballer but as a man as well.

“I was in my early 20s, in London, coming into very tough football (in the Premier League) – I learned a lot from that experience.”

There’s no doubt Rice would flourish in a team competing for top accolades, and Arsenal remain the frontrunners to sign the England midfielder, with Mikel Arteta keen to discuss a move once the season is over.

However, West Ham could yet be able to offer Rice another year of European football, should the bookies’ favourites win the Conference League (AZ Alkmaar and either Fiorentina or Basel stand in their way of a first major trophy since 1980).

Whether the Europa League would be enough to help persuade Rice to stick around remains to be seen. West Ham also have his fee to bear in mind, given he’ll have two years left on his contract this summer (should they trigger a 12-month extension in his deal).

If a new contract is not signed – and Rice has rejected any advances to date – his value will only decrease next year.

To West Ham fans, he is priceless and irreplaceable on and off the field, and many would be happy to see him stay for at least “one more year” – having chanted as much in the recent 4-0 away triumph at Bournemouth.

Kanoute – who played with top players through his career at West Ham, Spurs and Sevilla such as Paolo Di Canio, Dani Alves, Javier Saviola and Luis Fabiano – recognises what a talent Rice is.

However, he believes it isn’t essential the Hammers talisman leaves the London Stadium and hopes to see him stay, saying: “I’ve followed all the hype around him, and I think it is correct because he is a fantastic player. I think it’s just like let’s see when he’s going to have the next opportunity, when he’s going to move on or not.

“For now, I’m happy he plays for my first Premier League club and hopefully he can stay for quite a while and continue his development (with West Ham).

“He’s a good example of not giving up, being determined and most importantly staying focused.”

As the skipper, Rice certainly isn’t short of responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, leading the team out in front of 60,000 passionate supporters.

Since Mark Noble’s retirement, he has had to mature off the field and is learning every day.

But it all depends on how desperate Rice is to test himself on the very biggest stages. He got a taster of it with the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, and the trips around Europe with West Ham will only increase his desire for more.

Kanoute won two UEFA Cup trophies with Sevilla, and regarding retiring with some silverware from your career, he added: “I wouldn’t lie that it’s not important, at the end of the day, you play and it’s very much competitive.

“It’s different at a young age – it’s still competitive, you want to win, but it’s more about the development and with hindsight you understand this more, instilling some of the values of football and in life. But obviously when it’s your job, you want to get results.

“You play under more pressure, and I remember when I started to win my first trophies in Sevilla, for me it was something huge because you look back and see all that effort, you see yourself playing as a kid and the sacrifices of your parents who gave you that opportunity, your first coaches as a kid, and you feel all of this has paid off!

“For me, it was a great great moment to win my first Europa League… a long time ago now!”

Kanoute was speaking at Acland Burghley School in north London announcing two scholarships would be awarded to kids aged between 9-13 to La Liga Camps UK. If you are interested in La Liga’s partnership with Bloomsbury Football, please find more information here.

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